Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1887-09-08
his rather pecanar tsnaenaise 70 rais-

his rather pecalar tsndenoise 70 nis-
chief.
lads a real good boy, guess, ="
said Joe, ignoring the personality, '.but
If he's as hard of hearin' as Uncle Jeth
says-for heard him say Tad was def
as n haddock-you'n have to boiler like
old boots to make him hear" And,
without waiting to be questioned far
Their, Joe scudded homeward.
True to his promise, Joe was on
hand bright and early On the following
morning. Captain Flagg had gone
down to superintend the discharge of
the MARY Us" cargo, and Mrs.
Flagg was in the kitchen. Only Polly
and Bounce followed the two boys to
the gate.
Remember, now! no tricks-Joe. y"
called ont Polly, warningly; ''good
luck to you Tad" and she waved her
hand encouragingly. as the latter
turned with very full heart, to look
back at the old home whose occupants
had given him so friendly reception.
"Oh, isn't this NIGEL" said Tad, en-
Enthusiastically, as he drew in great
breath of the sweet, pure air, and
looked at the quiet beauty of the land
scape about him. Behind the vilieEe
rose range of spruce and pine Gov
cred hills. All round were fertile
farms, and, in the eyes of the city-bred
boy, Bixport and its surroundings
seemed a sort of miniature Paradise.
Not SO bad" patronizingly assent
ed his companion. And as they crossed
a small stone bridge which spanned a
deep narrow stream, Joe stopped and
peeped scrutinizingly over the rail, at
the dark current below.
''I guess the waters warm enough
to try the trout-to-morrow's Satur-
day, and if Miss Smith'n let you off in
the afternoon-if she hires you-what
do you say if we 90 trouting?"
Say! What would any boy say to such a
proposition--particu boy who had
never before been outside city walls?
'.But may be Miss Smith won't hire
me-" suggested Tad. little anxiously,
after having expressed a rapturous
readiness to accompany his newly
made friend on a trouting tramp, OF
anywhere else that Joe might suggest.
mo trouble about that!" Joe replied,
confidently; ''she'd take anybody I'm
Gle Jeth recommended. You know
she's hard of hearingP" he added, care
lessly.
No, Tad did not know it.
"Fact!' said Joe, with q nod; "and
if was You, I'd speak up good and
loud, SOS to let her see that you've got
a voice of your own. The louder you
boiler, the better she'll like you," he
added, with slight twinge of his not
over-sensitive conscience. For though
it was true that Miss Smith was I'M
deniably hard of hearing in her right
ear, persons speaking a little above
their ordinary tone had no particular
difficulty in making themselves heard.
Tad resolved that if this was the case,
he would place himself without delay
on the tOpmost round of Miss Smith S
affections; and little more was said, as
they had now arrived at their new
place of destination.
Miss Smiths house was a high,
square-roofed building, sadly in need
of painting, standing little back from
the road. 1t had one immense Chin
ney at the very apex of the roof, and a
low, old-fashioned piazza on the west
ern front. Two great elm-trees bent
prOtectingly over it, an orchard of
gnarled apple-trees was in the rear,
the vegetable garden at one side, and
a small yard in front, where, as the
two boys entered the gate, Miss Smith
herself was raking away the dead
leaves from bed of upspringing GRO
cuses.
AT their approach Miss Smith threw
her sun-bOnnet back. and, straighten-
ing up the rake-handle, stood stiff1y
erect, clasping it between her gloved
hands something IKE the manner of
a sentinel with his musket when not on
active duty-as she stared very hard at
Tad, whose heart was beating furiously.
$50 this is the boy she said, in an
uncompromising sort of voice-her re-
mark seemingly addressed to herself
''humph!'
This was by no means encouraging,
and Tad's hopes went down below zero
with considerable rapidity. Joe stood
a little at one side, with shadowy look
of expectancy on his freckled face.
"How old are you, Tad?' suddenly
shIieked Miss Smith, with such uneX-
pected energy that mechanically Tad
clapped his hands to his ears.
''Fourteen-in my fifteenth year"
shouted Tad, whose face became quite
crimson through the exertion. So did
Joe's, but from a different cause.